Articles, Conjunctions & Prepositions — PPSC previous year questions

Polonius's advice in Shakespeare's Hamlet runs 'Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice', that is, listen to everyone but speak to few. The contrast between 'every man' and 'few' calls for the conjunction but.

A comparative such as 'more' is completed with than. So: 'Henry Bradshaw knew more about printed books than any man living.' 'Then' is an adverb of time and a common spelling trap. 'And' and 'although' cannot complete a comparison.

The two clauses state opposite facts: I am right and you are wrong. So the coordinating conjunction of contrast but joins them: 'I am in the right, but you are in the wrong.' 'Either' needs a paired 'or'. 'That' introduces a noun clause. 'Yet' is reserved for an unexpected contrast, and this plain opposition is not one.

With the present perfect, a period of time is introduced by for — 'for a long time', 'for ten years'. 'Since' is followed by a point of time — 'since 2010', 'since childhood'. So we say 'I have known him for a long time.' 'Of' and 'in' are not used to express duration with the present perfect.

'Sit through' is the fixed phrase for enduring something from start to end. 'Till' marks the point where that endurance stopped. The sentence reads: 'I sat through his deluded emotional rant till I could no longer bear it.' 'Beyond' and 'over' cannot show that time limit. 'Until his rant' is unidiomatic in the first blank.

Time as shown by a clock or watch is expressed with by: 'It is 10 o'clock by my watch.' 'On my watch' would mean during my period of duty. 'In' and 'at' do not go with a timepiece in this sense.

'Massacres' and 'disorder' are joined as one compound subject. That needs the coordinating conjunction and: 'Massacres and disorder never pave the way to peace.' The plural verb 'pave' shows that two subjects are added together. 'Than' needs a comparative. 'But' would set the two in contrast. 'Of' would make 'disorder' qualify 'massacres', which does not fit the sense.

To caution or warn someone about a danger, we use against: 'The public are cautioned against pickpockets.' 'By' would mark the person doing the cautioning. 'For' and 'at' do not go with 'caution' in this sense.

A river passes beneath a bridge. So the preposition of position needed is under: 'The river flows under the bridge.' 'Over' would mean the river is above the bridge. 'Across' is used for the bridge crossing the river, not the river crossing the bridge. 'Of' gives no sense.

This is a hypothetical condition in the subjunctive ('I were'). So it must open with if. Correct: 'If I were personally your enemy, I might pity and forgive you.' 'But', 'as' and 'either' cannot start such a condition.